Letter to the Editor

March 12, 2014

Dear Editor, now that VCPUSD Superintendent Dr. Lou Obermeyer has announced her retirement, it is time for the District to take a fresh look at the actions that resulted in the destruction of Valley Center's historical CCC Camp and the ongoing costs related to the demolition.

The CCC Interest Group has been trying for over a year to meet with the School Board to discuss preserving a small portion of the CCC Camp and, after the CCC Camp was improperly demolished last March, to obtain a small historical park and educational kiosk on one corner of the site (see attached schematic). Dr. Obermeyer and the Board have ignored these reasonable requests to meet and find a mutually agreeable solution for the benefit of the Valley Center community.

We again publically renew our request to the District to meet with the CCC Interest Group and work out a solution before Dr. Obermeyer vacates her post and before the school incurs any more unnecessary expenses. Here are the known costs related to the destruction of the CCC Camp: The District -

1. Purchased the property for $255,998 when it could have been purchased for $1 as there were no other bidders.

2. Spent $44,909 to demolish the buildings, an unnecessary expense if item #3 (below) had been considered and accepted, plus a HazMat survey that cost at least $3,850.

3. Ignored an offer from a local philanthropist to restore the buildings on behalf of the school, an offer worth at least $250,000.

4. Spent at least $30,000 on attorney fees to defend these actions.

5. Spent $97,295 on an Environmental Impact Report that should have been performed before the historic buildings were demolished, not afterwards. Costs could have been minimized or avoided if buildings had been restored without cost to the District as offered in #3 above.

6. Will spend another projected $30,000 on defending an appeal if the Board continues to refuse to meet with the CCC Interest Group to work out a settlement, plus the CCC Interest Group's legal fees if their appeal is successful.

This totals over $710,000 in costs and lost opportunities. Will the School Board meet with the CCC Interest Group before any more financial damage is done?

Jon Vick

CCC Interest Group

Valley Center, CA 92082

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